Growing herbs indoor is not only therapeutic for the eyes, with the fresh, dewy green bringing much-needed coolness, the invigorating and aromatic plants are also extremely convenient for your daily cooking routine.

Herbs grown indoor save on your time and energy spent on making trips to the grocery store, save on money you spend on buying them too. Tou grow them without any side-effects that might come from the heavily pesticide-drenched herbs you buy outside, and you enjoy the rewarding experience of nurturing living things.

Herbs are small, pretty to look at, and are not high maintenance. They also do not take as long to grow as vegetables and fruits. All good, isn’t it?

So, which ones do you want to grow? There are too many, and you’re understandably confused. Let me help you with the dilemma. These 19 herbs are both popular and exciting to grow, given that they are well cared for.

Best Indoor Herbs for your Garden

Lavender

Lavender is a plant that stands out from almost everything else when it is in its full blooming. Lavender is a genus of forty-seven mint plants, varying in size, hues and taste used both in baking and in seasoning. But the commonest lavender grown is called True/Common Lavender. As an herb, it is very versatile, and its oil has several remedial properties.

It takes fourteen to twenty days to germinate, and grows to a height of 12” to 18” when sown with a spacing of 2” to 4”. It prefers a heavy dose of the sun for its light. Best harvested during summer as that is when it blooms, its seeds can be sown indoors, but it must be transplanted in the spring to the outdoors. You can, of course, flower it throughout the year with careful spring pruning and regular clipping.

Fertilize it carefully in the fall season, either in the middle of it or early on in a soil that’s a little sandy and has a good drainage. Moreover, it should have a low acidic level and base alkaline level with 6.7 to 7.3 pH.

Sage

The name carries weight, mystical aura and a sense of gravity with it. It is a popular seasoning, both dried and fresh, and the flowers it grows are edible.

Sage tea is considered to be immensely therapeutic for both the mind and the body, it not only helps with gastritis and mouth infections, but it also reduces anxiety and fever along with calming down people who have disorders of the nervous and cerebral kind.

Just like lavender, sow the seeds indoors and then transplant it to the outdoors during springtime, if you don’t want to grow it outside directly during the season. Not only is sage grown from seeds, but like many plants, you can grow it from cuttings too. Harvesting during the first year should be light, and the harvesting of flowers should be done only when the buds are nearly opened. But do not harvest the plant during wintertime and stop it two months prior.

It can be grown perennially too, and when done so must be pruned in spring. It takes around seven to twenty-one days to germinate and prefers equal parts shade and sunlight. Enjoying a pH level of 6.5 to 7 in a tad sandy soil, the plant grows to a good height of 16” to 30” with a 12” spacing. Wait until eleven to thirteen weeks before harvesting.

Oregano

Oregano is an extremely popular seasoning and not just for pizza. It is a chiefly Greek and Mediterranean seasoning and can be used for everything from bread to meat. It also helps in treating dandruff, fungal infections, upset stomach, breathing issues, and joint and muscle pain. And like lavender, it keeps insects and pests away.

Taking seven to fourteen days to germinate, it prefers a healthy morning sun and cool shade in noontime, in a soil that is drained well and has a pH level of 6.5 to 7. It loves high dosage of nitrogen in its fertilizer during springtime, which is also when it should be transplanted outside after being sown indoors.

Wait for eleven to thirteen weeks before you harvest this pretty herb that grows a good 8” to 24” with a 12” spacing.

Coriander

Also known as Cilantro, this herb is popular as a seasoning for the Caribbean, Indian and Chinese dishes. You can use it to season everything from curry to meats to rice. It has a distinctly warm flavor, and its seeds are great for cooking. The seeds also help regulate blood sugar, and improve insulin production, and ease digestion.

Unlike the other three herbs so far in this list, Coriander needs to be sown outdoors, both in the summertime and in springtime and cannot be transplanted. The good thing about Coriander is that you can keep harvesting the leaves and the plant will shed seeds for you to re-germinate it. You can harvest the seeds by clipping their stalks and allowing them to split inside a paper bag and unveil the seeds for germination or your cooking preparation.

It takes even seven to ten days to germinate and needs to be kept clean and safe from the aphis parasite, in light shade and healthy sunlight. It grows 12” to 18” in height in a soil with a well-drained pH level of 6.2 to 6.8. It needs monthly fertilization and can be harvested in three to four weeks.

Basil

Basil is a plant that has unlimited popularity in the kitchen. It is also considered auspicious and holy in India. It has a distinctly refreshing aroma and is great when used both fresh and dried. Extremely nutrient-rich, it also repels insects efficiently.

It can be sown indoors during springtime and transplanted outside once you know there is no possible frosting. If you want to harvest basil leaves in their freshest state, remove the stalks when they flower fully, even though if you keep them the smell will liven up your house.

It takes five to ten days to germinate, and can be grown from clippings too. It likes a healthy morning sun and a nice shade in the afternoon. Growing 12” to 18”, it can be harvested in about ten weeks from a soil that is drained well, is moist and rich with a pH of 6 to 7.

Peppermint

Peppermint has a delicious flavor and is one of the most versatile and multi-faceted herbs you can find. Not only is it medicinal in nature, helping through its oil and tea for digestion, headaches, and sinus, it also repels spiders, rodents and other pests away.

Its minty flavor is popular for seasoning many recipes and edibles. It takes ten to fifteen days to germinate, like equal parts sun and shade, and it needs to be sown indoors and transplanted outdoors at least two weeks before frost arrives. You can directly sow the seeds outside, and they prefer not to have a soil covering to grow.

It grows and spreads around 6” to 12” and can be harvested throughout the season. It is better grown in containers due to its tendency to invade other plant spaces, which is why a spacing of 18” is recommended.

Thyme

It’s time for thyme to take the limelight. Thyme does wonders for you, from curing skin problems to hair loss and dandruff, it undoes a sore throat and is both an antibiotic and an antiseptic. It works great with other ingredients and often enhances their flavor. It is best used in curries and soups.

Taking fourteen to twenty days to germinate indoors, it needs to be transplanted in spring. It shouldn’t be harvest less a month before the first frost and shouldn’t be pruned before the frosting danger has passed. It attracts much-needed pollinators like bees and can be harvested in thirteen to fourteen weeks, preferring a neutral pH of 7.0 and a balanced exposure to both sun and shade.

Parsley

Anti-bacterial in nature, good for the immune system and digestion, parsley is a common cooking ingredient often used along with coriander. But, it shouldn’t be around women who are pregnant as it causes complications, from uterine contractions to even miscarriages.

Sown indoors and transplanted in spring outside, it likes mulched, moist soil of pH 5.5 to 6.7 and germinates in fourteen to thirty days. It likes equal parts shade and sun and can be harvested in ten to eleven weeks.

Do grow enough parsley because this plant attracts butterfly larvae and though harmless, they depend on it for food.

Chives

This herb shares its make to shallots, garlic, and onions, which are collectively known as the genus allium. You might have heard of garlic driving away vampires in stories, but alliums surely do keep aphids, mosquitoes, and other pests away. Perhaps here is where the blood-sucking vampire and the blood-sucking mosquito find common ground to share?

Chives are antibiotic and help in digestion, acting as wonderful ingredients for cooking vegetables, soups, fish, et cetera. Their buds are small and taste like onions when not opened. These alliums can be germinated in seven to fourteen days indoors and then transplanted outside during fall or springtime, but are also free to be grown outdoors directly. Leave half inch stubs at the base when you cut them for harvesting to keep the chives fresh. Remove all the leaves so that the plant knows it is time to grow again. Its harvesting period varies, and it is best to do so in spring after frost has passed.

Rosemary

Rosemary’s babies, in the plant reality, keep sinister pests away with their pungent smell. And while it keeps pests away, it also calms your mind. But that’s not the only great thing about this plant. It has several health benefits, both when ingested and applied as oil, for skin, digestion, and hair.

It is an excellent spice to add to any kind of meat, be it fish, chicken or lamb. Sown indoors and transplanted outside in spring, it is easier to clip and grow than sow this herb which needs the full attention of the sun. It takes eleven to fourteen weeks to harvest and grows to a healthy 30” to 60” with a wide spacing of 36” in a pH balanced and well-drained light soil.

Lemon Balm

One of the more refreshing types of mints, lemon balm has an invigorating aroma and true to its name does wonders for tensed nerves and muscles. It is antiviral in nature, keeps pests away and helps with cramping and relieving trapped gas and when used as a tea, clears the mind.

Requiring mulching during wintry months, this herb germinates in seven to fourteen days. It requires a full morning sun and a relaxing afternoon shade in a neutrally pH balanced, moist soil that has good drainage and rich with nutrients. It can be harvested all along the season and grows up to 26” in height.

Tarragon

Fighting bad breath, anxiety, and hunger, Tarragon is a refreshing resource of several minerals including zinc, magnesium and calcium, with a healthy iron and vitamin content. Not only does it make for a lovely tea, but it can also be turned into an organic deodorant too, thanks to its delightful aroma and antibacterial properties. Plus, it works great for both types of meat, seafood, and veggies.

It doesn’t cause much hassle on the growing side either, the seeds germinating in ten to fourteen days indoors and transplanted outside after the final frost has passed. It is really good at propagation and the cuttings, when stooping to the soil, spread as fast as they can, with no demands for regular maintenance. It is a zombie plant that can regrow even if dead in winter, but it loves a moist soil and some balanced sun and shade. Harvest eleven weeks after it is grown. It reaches a height of 24” and doesn’t require a fertilizer to grow, and it is considered drought resistant.

Bay Laurel

It grows really big if unchecked, requires very little maintenance, is an excellent plant for seasoning and is very resistant to harsh weather. It can be germinated inside and grown outdoors, but it is best to keep it indoors during winter.

It is a popular choice in the Mediterranean and frequently used in pasta sauces. Its oil is used for arthritis therapy. It is most famous for being used as a symbol of Cyprus as two golden laurel leaves.

Lemongrass

This one’s a darling in the East. Popular as a culinary addition in many Asian cuisines, lemongrass is refreshing and very delectable. It has several medicinal purposes, especially in India. Lemongrass tea is popular in Mexico, Togo and other countries and its oil is used as a natural pesticide. It detoxes the body, and its aroma is therapeutic in nature.

It is also quite easy to propagate. Take a fresh stalk of lemongrass, cut it from the top, slice away any dead spot and let the stalk’s bottom float in fresh water with enough sunlight. After a few weeks you will notice roots sprouting and when they do, transplant it in potting soil.

Kaffir Lime

It is more of a dwarf citrus tree than a herb, but it does great growing indoors and is popularly used in Asia for culinary purposes. While the leaves are popular, the small lime itself is quite tasty. But, if you want the plant to successfully sprout limes, you will need to give it adequate sunlight, especially in the summer. The soil too needs to well drained and moist, and a little humidity will do it well. During winters, it is not at all advisable to keep the plant outside as frost is a killer for this plant. Pruning the plant slightly helps it keep a lovely appearance in your indoor herb garden.

Spinach

The plant that found worldwide fame due to Popeye the Sailor, Spinach is an easy to grow plant with enough benefits to make a cartoon character perform inhuman feats.

It has a really short harvesting time of just maximum forty-five days, and likes cooler climates than hotter ones. Seeds can be grown in the indoor herb garden, and germinate in two to three weeks before being transplanted outside. Spinach does not like the dry environment and needs a moist and well-drained soil to grow with frequent watering.

Swiss Chard

In actuality, it a beet, but Swiss Chard is quite insatiable for the tongue. It looks wonderfully colorful in its bright lights variety.

It needs to be germinated three weeks before the first frost. It grows in a light and well-drained rich soil. When it is six to eight inches in height, you can start harvesting it for consumption. With careful slicing, leaves grow quickly and provide you with even more harvest. A good substitute for spinach, the swiss chard is a beautiful addition to your home.

Peppers

Peppers are too easy to grow and are vibrant in their hue. Adding the necessary spice to both your food and your life, peppers are a no-fuss addition to your indoor plant collection. Even though they take about seven weeks to germinate from seeds, it is advisable to start growing them eight to ten weeks before transplanting and two to three weeks after the final frost. They require a lot of sunlight and damp soil so that they can be quite moody on the growing part sometimes.

Lettuce

The crowning jewel of any salad platter, the lettuce is extremely susceptible to growing fast. It is more resistant to cold than other plants on this list, but is best grown during springtime and fall. Start the seeds four to six weeks indoors before the final frost and then transplant them outside. Sowing seeds every couple of weeks equals a constant supply and lettuce does grow in abundance, so try not to grow too much at once.